1970 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser 350 Rocket with Quadrajet

[antonisbob]

DREAM CAR! One day.... one day. :P

[Sktrtrsh]

I got my license with my mom's Vista Cruiser back in '74. Also got to take my girlfriend out in it. Down by the lake, them fold down seats came in really handy, and she just loved being able to look up at the stars through the top windows, while we were making memories. Lotsa great memories there!

[Therealanimale]

Cool car...piece of American heritage, I can see those old American movies full of these shining big beast cars before me!

[Nivicoman]

The air filter lid upside down or a chrome one on there? My 67 Impala with a 1972 Chevy 307 and Rochester 2 barrel (small bore) topped by a chrome filter roared like this when kicked. After putting on a Quadrajet it roared twice as hard. People heard me coming a mile away, the glasspacks paled in comparison all the sound was intake.

[dickfrankson]

I had one just like yours except with a two barrel. Advance the timing a hair and take it out for a run. You won't believe what a difference it makes. Loved that car with all the various interior lights. Especially the one on the rear view mirror.

Also loved the crank-open vent windows.

[concreteoutlaws]

What a rag



[sublimedward]

love that q jet

[bcm12079]

nice video. reminds me of my 1979 chevy truck with an olds 350 4bbl with dual exhaust. It sounded nice when floored when the secondaries opened up. mine had manifold problems with the gaskets.

[rustydog0329]

Beautiful car - looks like Burnished Gold metallic lacquer - paint code 58B

I had a '70 F85 sedan in that color

still miss it

[malcolm70]

wow your getting to the grocery at a pretty fast pace

[Dhoylandrules84]

in 1970 the 350 rocket had 310 hp i believe. I bet an open element airfilter would make the car pull hard off the line haha

[tucsondog]

i miss that sound...

[lespaulfan4]

thats what i call a grocery getter

[69vistacruiserIsbest]

Good engine didn't stalll like my 69 kep it in good shape u should work on the rear door wood paneling don't use car wax it ruined mine it last longer with wood polisher or wax

[stratplayer3636]

loud 4bbl single exhaust 10 gal of gas to make video priceless

[Nivicoman]

My 67 Impala with a 307 and Rochester 2 barrel made the same deep roar when I used a chrome air filter (exposed element). When using the stock air filter with it's snorkel the noise was reduced to a muffled drone.

Everyone was surprised that the tiny 2 barrel would make that deep roar and push you back into the seat. After changing over to a Quadrajet it was 3 times as loud and deep and would shove you in the seat even more. More compression and a better cam would have had it on par with a 350.

[86cutlassSX1]

love the sound of rochester quadrajets,nothing like em,nice car too

[68Barracuda11s]

@86cutlassSX1 Carter Thermoquad sounds a thousand times better

[Seattlecarnut]

Oh. Ok, I thought so. I'm not against shifting manually an automatic. Why it's not recommended is beyond me. Any more videos of you driving the Vista Cruiser? If you do, I'd love to see them. Nice car.

[Seattlecarnut]

Nice car. Is it my imagination, or does the car have a manual shift transmission, and you're shifting gears? Unless I'm mistaken, most Vista Cruisers had automatic trannies. Nice video!

[vistacruiser67]

No its automatic. Im shifting manually. I dont think any Vistas had manual. All came with 400 turbos whether big block or small block.

[johndelta123]

What do you mean big or small block? All olds v8's were the same size externally.

[vistacruiser67]

Well yes they even all use the same size valve covers but Ive always heard on 64 and later Olds engines breakdown as follows: 260,307,330,350 and 403 are smallblocks while 400, 425 and 455 are big blocks. Any Olds literature or website should back this up. 455 is wider and taller than a 350 yet they share many components like camshafts, valve covers, etc.

[vistacruiser67]

On the other hand they say Pontiac engines are all the same and Pontiac never made a smallblock from 301 to 455 and all Pontiac V8s are big blocks. I dont know about Pontiac though but I know Olds engines are divided into smallblock and big block despite their visual similarities.

[Scottwax]

No they aren't. I swapped a 455 into a '77 Cutlass I had and the 455 was about an inch taller and wider than the 350 I pulled out.

[cobraopts7]

@johndelta123 not really a 455 was bigger then a 350 it was a different platform hence why it weighed a couple pounds more

[Seattlecarnut]

@vistacruiser67 Ah. Automatic being shifted manually. I do that whenever I can get away with it. Have you done anything with the brakes since this video was posted?

[vistacruiser67]

@Seattlecarnut Yeah its got new brakes all around now. Just needs the booster swapped out. Problem is the car got flooded under water in May 2010 causing the transmission only to drive in first gear.

[Seattlecarnut]

@vistacruiser67 Flooded under water? What happened?

[vistacruiser67]

@Seattlecarnut In May of 2010 we had a flash flood one night around 2am here at the apartment complex and water got up to the transmission humps inside all the cars. I lived at this place for 16 years and never seen the water break the levy. runoff of nearby roads and parking lots filled a reservoir and the first floor apartments were all knee deep in water. Luckily I live on the second floor.

[Seattlecarnut]

@vistacruiser67 At least you'e ok. What's the car like? Have you been able to work on it?

[blueblade455]

What is it that creates that deep sounding noise on these quadrajets? I always thought since I was a kid that was the coolest sound in the whole world, even today!

[gillyfillisjar]

I was wondering that too, pretty much any carb'd vehicle makes that deep throaty sound when the secondaries open up

[MsPinkDink]

ha ha the dirty half second delay of the quadrajet pretty good stock carb swap with a 650 edelbrock and an intake and watch her go

[Oldsninetyeigth]

Does this VC have the rear A Arm braces?

[vistacruiser67]

The car did have AC but it did not work and is now removed. By A Arm braces are you talking about box control arms? if so no. It does have a rear sway bar.

[clark707]

spose that four barrel wont dump, its wicked man

[MetallicaThrashMetal]

that 70's Show!

[an380]

i so want to restore one of those they are awesome

[crammage]

NEVER SELL IT

KEEP IT FOREVER!!!

take care of that beast

[PorschefanRoel]

You can sell it, but please if you sell, sell it to me ^^

[johnsont963]

if you have brake problems then why are you racing up and down the street???

[vistacruiser67]

Im a professional. At the time I was just doing a roadtest in a controlled setting to get a feel for the car. The brakes are fixed now and the muffler has been replaced by a straight pipe. Electronic ignition installed and motor mounts replaced. Soon hope to get another video under running up and down this road. Same road as the truck test you saw. A good location with no traffic and good long shot visbility. You running a Chevy motor in that Firebird?

[74ChevyVegaMan]

Sorry but that gas pedal wont fix that break problem!

[vistacruiser67]

The low 1 gear was a must. Ive since had the brakes repaired to an acceptable level.

[tarantino1969]

thanks for the vid...i have a 1978 cutlass for barrel and it has a great sound......regards david

[tropicjester12]

thanks for the four barrel noise,I miss that sound in my 75 grand am four speed,maybe next year i can get it to my place and make some noise

[FcukYuoZ]

I could have sworn the Vista Cruiser I had was a 455. God I loved that car..LoL going 110mph on a highway..racing a trans am and beating him...-sighs- I wish I had the car back! It was the only car I had that I could speed in and not get caught..LoL moreso b.c its a station wagon..LMAO. That and I don't think the Police Cruisers would be able to catch it..haha

[vistacruiser67]

Im sure it did have a 455. 455 was the optional engine. I had a 455 in a 71 Vista and that 455 is now in my 442. The 71 Vista and the 442 can both be seen on our other videos. Yeah you cant beat the 455 to carry the heavy cars. Great torque.

[OldsMannn]

do you have any 71 w30 parts?

[gajda1984]

she's a pretty quick wagon! how much horse power were Olds 350s worth in 1970?

[vistacruiser67]

The four barrel engines like this one was advertised at 310 hp but those were more gross numbers. What really helps these wagons are the gears. This one has 3.08 gears.  You seldom find a Vista Cruiser geared any higher than 3.08. This car has a terrible exhaust leak thats robbing power.

[gajda1984]

i could definitly hear the leak in the other video. that's too bad. still looks pretty quick for a wagon though. what tranny does it have the turbo hydromatic?

[vistacruiser67]

400 turbo standard regardless of big block or small block.

[OldsVistaCruiser]

My '69 has a 2.78 Olds 12-bolt posi! It originally had the 350 cid 2-bbl (250 hp), but I've changed the carb & intake to a 4-bbl.

The 2-bbl had a 9:1 compression ratio, while the 4-bbl came with a 10.25:1 ratio.

Since it's a restoration project that has been off the road since 1990, I'm guessing that I won't get any quick starts, but it will probably do 120 mph all day long, though...

Yeah, I heard that exhaust leak, too. My Vista needs the entire exhaust from the manifold/crossover back.

[spikedpunk]

Sounds real nice, and it is real, not like the 'dialed in sounds' of today's cars. Even with the rinky-dink single exhaust on my '72 350 4bbl, it sounds decent as well. Things will come for that. I found the addition of the rear sway bar on my '70 I had, it really tightened up the handling. My '72 has this really crazy aftermarket kit with 1.25" front (I think) and 1" rear diameter anti-sway bar kit, and poly suspension bushings. I hope your '70 will be fixed up as it deserves.

[SVI4004]

Love the QuadraJet - over here in Australia our GM(Holden) bent eights were fitted with them till 1988. i had a 1983 VH Commodore with a 253 V8, and heavens did it have induction roar! - have a Brock improved commodore now (QuadraJet M4ML 850 cfm)

I learned that when the police force were using these cars, they too were lid flippers- which was easily heard when they were in a hurry :)

[daytonpaul]

What I hate is that these and early chevy wagons are very desireable for demolition derbys. I love derbys but I think you should only use cars no longer street worthy or non classics. But these guys are so into it ther will pay 2-3 grand for a derby car thats solid what a shame. 2 years ago I helped my friend build a derby car it was a late 70s caprice with a 350 and like 30,000 miles not a scratch inside or out but it was a police inpound car could never have a title but made me sad still

[gtarz38]

that four barrel sound like its gonna suck the hood in .lol

[Rocket4Barrel]

Yesteryears SUV gettin it done, nice Vista dude, I love the sound of a quadrajet under full throttle, brings back memories of my '77 Cutlass I had in high school, 350 Rocket headers, 442 options. Are you gonna restore her? Love these old beasts.

[blueblade455]

Listening to a quadrajet at wide open throttle, and a hot chick screaming my name during sex have to be the coolest sounds in life!

[Fast355]

I wish I had made some videos of my Chevy Vans Q-Jet fed 200 HP 305 before I rebuilt it and swapped it to TPI. I love the Q-Jet sound when evoked.

[FlyBoy7X7]

...Somebody put a rear anti-sway bar on that thing! I wonder if it helps?!? My parents' Vista Cruiser was a sled around the corners

[vistacruiser67]

I think its a factory option. A friend of mine has got another 70 Vista parts car that had a rear sway bar. Ive got to get some shocks on this thing soon. By the way I did get new brakes.

[FlyBoy7X7]

Is that you, Quinn??? LAWN JOB!!!! - no, your's was a 72 and it was yellow with the wood. Brings back memories of high school...

[fordwagonnut]

Thats just pure power......I love it!

[greeniron32]

I remember pulling on the interstate & holding the pedal to the floor untill about 90 mph, "Quadrajet is sweet music"

[greeniron32]

Great sound, I bet there is a whole Generation who have never heard a Rochester Q-Jet 4 barrel secondary open. My brother & I use to take our parents 1970 Chevelle Concours Station Wagon with 350 4 Barrel Q-Jet & flip the air cleaner lid & get that same sound. It did have dual exhaust with Hush Thrush mufflers(our idea)

[tamapalagi]

I agree with you greeniron. I did the same thing with my qjet aircleaner. Makes you believe they were made that way. The qjet is like the ak47. Not as pretty as the other carbs but dust then off and they run.

[colibri1]

Yep, our next-door neighbors, the Allens, bought one that exact same color in 1970 when I was five. Can't wait to see yours restored!

[Sean1086]

Love that sound when you floor it!

[romonechevy]

vooooo i love it

[Sean1086]

Do some rubber!

[rkt88403]

Olds freak here. Hired in at the Oldsmobile plant in Lansing back in 1971. Retired last year. First car was a '54 Super 88. Have a '81 Delta,403,TH350,3.23 posi now.

[w30olds]

o well it still sounds good. do you have the air cleanner flipped?

[greeniron32]

You have to over 40 years old to know about flipping a air clean lid.

[tamapalagi]

I love that qjet sound and I'll be 41 in march. All my cars ran qjets.

[tucsondog]

not quite...

i'm only 19 and i flip mine on my 85' sierra.

800cfm q-jet + flipped lid

=turned heads and big smiles

[TheFamilyTruckster]

I got a woody watching that!

[vistacruiser67]

The second car I ever owned was a 72 Cutlass 4 door post town sedan with a 350 Rocket 2 barrel. I do plan to restore this Vista along with the 71 442 in my other videos. I just dont know when. This Vista has been well cared for. Once I get the rust in those quarters taken care of it will be an easy restoration.

[455OLDSchool]

No stationwagon looks better than the Vista Cruisers, thanks for putting it up.

[vistacruiser67]

I agree. Vista Cruisers only recently have begun to get the recognition they deserve. I guess that TV show "That 70's Show" helped. Buick made a Sportwagon from 64-69 but lost their roof glass from 70-72. Interestingly Olds kept the Vista until 72. The only other competition for best looking wagon would be the Chevy Nomad. Its a matter or preference but I think the Olds Vista Cruiser wagon looks the best.

[vistacruiser67]

1970 Olds Vista Cruiser 3 seater has 350 Rocket 4 barrel with rear end code SM which we believe to be a 3.08 gear. Also if you look closely from some rear views you can see a rear sway bar. 350 Olds is running pretty strong despite a bad exhaust leak around the exhaust manifold and and a bad modulator valve on the transmission.